Crown-opener.



E. WALKER.

CROWN OPENER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19. 1910.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

M'VE/VTUH Edwin Wald/ 61 A TTORNEXS EDWIN WALKER, 0F ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CROWN-OPENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1915.

Original application filed September 21, 1909. Serial No. 518,831. Divided and this application filed July 19,1910. SerialNo. 572,681.

To all whom it may concern Be 1t "known that I, EDWIN WALKER, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Erie, county of Erie, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and usetembodies a cork screw and an opener for bottle caps or crowns, but it .is to be understood that the present application pertains only to the crown or cap opener.

My new crown opener embodies a distinctive feature of novelty in the lips or offsets positioned on the inner edge of a loop forming a part of the article. Said lips or ofi'sets are constituted by flat PIOJGC- tions swaged from the wire or metal composing the article, and they provide an ex tended and eliicient bearing adapted for engagement with the edge of a bottle cap or crown, whereby pressure may be applied to the cap or crown for easily and quickly removing it from the bottle, and with less danger of breaking or chipping the mouth of the bottle.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated diflerent practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions shown therein are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a rod or wire cut to the proper length and adapted to form two blanks from which to producetwo cork screws each having my crown opener. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rod split to produce two blanks. Fig. 3 is a view showing the two blanks separated from each other. Fig. 4 is an elevation of a combined article embodying my crown opener. Fig. 5 is an elevation of a crown opener separate from the cork screw. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sec tion' on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

My invention.may be embodied in the form of a combined cork screw and'crown opener,A, shown in Fig. 4, or as a crown opener, B, shown in Fig. 5, as a separate article which is distinct from the combined article of said Fig. 4.

As shown, the cork screw embodies a spiral or coil, '0, the inner face of-each convolution of which is straight and the outer face is curved, the material being substantially semi-circular incross section. Saidcork screw is provided with a loop, 6, serving the purpose of a handle when using the article as a cork screw, but this loop is so formed that it constitutes an important part of the crown opener when the article is em ployed for removing caps or crowns from bottles.

The salient feature of the invention consists of lips or offsets, C, C, formed on the inner edge of loop, 6, by swaging the metal in a suitable press. The lips are, preferably, two in number, and they are positioned at the respective sides of the longitudinal axis through the spiral or handle as the case may be. Said lips are in the form of substantially fiat projections extending centrally from the metal composing the loop, as shown more clearly in Fig. 6. As stated, the loopis swaged at two points so as to displace metal from the rod or wire composing the loop, and the metal thus displaced is forced inwardly thereby producing the flat lips or offsets, the operation of displacing the metal producing, also, recesses, d, on the inner edge of the loop and adjacent to the lips or ofisets. The metal thus displaced is compressed and shaped to result in strong rigid lipshaving a neat appearance which does not-detract from the symmetry of the article.

The lips extend well within the inner edge of the loop, and as said lips are flattened, they provide an extended and efiicient bearing adapted for engagement with the inner edge of a cap or crown. By providing the opener with two lips, instead of one as is usual, the pressure employed in removing the bottle crown is distributed to better advantage, thereby removing the crown more easily, and with less danger of breaking the neck or mouth of the bottle, or of chipping the edge of the bottle mouth. Moreover, the

line, 6, the line of division, 6, extending at its extremities in oppositely inclined directions, as at e, 6?, whereby the cut length of material is separated into two distinct blanks, E, E, see Fig. 3. The method of making the blanks is not only rapid and economical, two blanks being produced at one operation from a single length of material, but by splitting the material in the manner described, the desired bevel and point, 8 of the cork screw is simultaneously produced in each of the two blanks. The blanks having been produced, the split portion of each blank which forms the screw is wound or coiled around a suitable mandrel, but the cylindrical part of the blank is adapted to forn1 the handle of the cork the formation of the loop, the material of screw by bending the cylindrical part of the blank into a loop, 6. Before or after bending the cylindrical partof the blank to produce the loop, Z), but preferably after operation of a'suitable press, thus producing the recesses, ahand displacing the metal to form the flat lips or offsets, C, C.

Fig. 6 of the-drawings shows another embodiment of the invention wherein the crown opener is not associated or combined p with a cork screw, but is a separate and distinct article. The device is made, preferably, from a cut length of round rod or wire,

although the length of cut material may be flattened for a part of its length. The rod is first bent or doubled to produce the loop, I), and the respective side portions of the rod are brought close together, as at f, or they may contact if desired, after which the respective ends of the rod are separated on inclined lines and finally bent inward, as at 9, thus producing a handle, B, for the loop, 6. Before or after bending, the rod is swaged at two points in a suitable press so as to produce the recesses, d, and the lips or ofl'sets, C, C, as hereinbefore described.

It will be observed that the only distinction between the devices of Figs. 4 and 5 is that in the former case the crown'opener is a part of a combined article wherein a cork screw is an essential part, whereas in the latter case the crown opener is provided with a handle; but in each instance the crown opener embodies the essential features of a loop and a plurality of lips or offsets positioned and constructed in the manner specified for the purpose of applying pressure to the under edge of a bottle ca when it is desired to remove the latter.

avin g thus fully described the invention, what I claim. as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter comprising a loop bent from a wire rod, and a plurality of lips swaged from the metal of the loop and extending inwardly from the inner contour of the loop.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter bent from a wire .rod and comprising a loop, a member extending from the loop and adapted to serve as a handle, and a plurality of fiat lips extending inwardly from the inner contour of the loop, said lips being positioned centrally of the wire rod and each of said lips having a convex edge adapted to clear the edge of a bottle whenlifting the cap.

3. As-a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter bent from a wire rod and comprising a loop, and a plurality of inwardly extending lips produced by swaging the metal of the loop at a plurality of points, said swaging displacing metal from the wire rod and resulting in the formation of recesses within the metal of the loop and at the points where the lips extend from the loop. 7 I

' 4. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter comprising a loop provided with recesses at the inneredge thereof, lips coincident in position with the recesses and extending inwardly from the inner contour of the loop, the edge of each lip being convex and the side faces of each lip being substantially parallel.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter bent from a wire rod and comprising two loops, one of said loops being provided with a plurality of lips swaged from the metal of the loop and extending inwardly from the inner contour of said loop, and the other of said loops serving as a handle for the lifter.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter bent from a wire rod and comprising two loops positioned in substantially the same plane, one of said loops being provided with a plurality of lips having curved edges and substantially parallel faces, said lips being swaged from the metal of the loop and extending inwardly from the inner contour of said loop, and the other of said loops serving as a handle for'the lifter.

7 As a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter bent from a wire rod and comprising two loops positioned in substantially the same plane, one of said loops being provided with a plurality of lips swaged from the metal of the loop, said lips being positioned centrally of the metal of the loop and extending inwardly from the inner contour of said loop.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a bottle cap lifter bent from wire rod, and comprising two loops, one of said loops being provided with a plurality of lips swaged from the metal of the-loop and extending inwardly from the inner contour of said loop, and the other of saidloops serving as a handle for the lifter, the loop forming the [handle of the lifter being provided with an opening for the purpose of allowing a flexible adjustment of the loop from which the lips are formed with relatlon tothe contour 1 of the mouth of the bottle to be operated upon. a

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN- WALKER.- Witnesses:

H. T, BERNHARD,

J. F. MOTHERSHEAD. 

